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UN migration pact to be rejected by the Czechs

The Czech Republic will probably not join the Global Compact for Migration. The government will debate the document next week, however, according to Foreign Minister Petříček, it is already clear that the cabinet will not support the accession to the pact. The treaty was also criticized by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš due to its possible disruption of national sovereignty.

"This is a political, legally non-binding declaration, but we have discussed it anyway. In the past, the Czech Republic had comments and objections that were not accepted. We are concerned about the possible disruption of national sovereignty due to this pact. There is a vague distinction between legal and illegal migrants," PM Babiš said after the government meeting.

Babiš added that he is not afraid of impending international isolation. According to him, the UN should improve the conditions in the countries from which migrants come, thus eliminating the reasons for migration, rather than plan a global migration treaty.

Minister Petriček also said that not all the Czech objections were accepted during the negotiations. Also, the whole of the EU has not succeeded with its comments. The Czech Republic, according to Petříček, should step back from the pact and so he will conceive the final material for the pact that will be submitted to the government.

Former Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg (TOP 09) has sharply criticized the cabinet for its planned rejection of the pact. On the other hand, for example, the SPD is satisfied with the expected withdrawal from the pact. A representative of the opposite ODS Jan Skopeček then directly asked the government to refuse the convention.

The Global Pact on Migration was pre-approved by all member states of the UN two years ago, except for the United States. In addition to the USA, Australia, Austria and Hungary rejected the pact, too. Further, Poland´s attitude to the document is negative, and Italy and Japan also plan to withdraw. Denmark, Croatia, and Slovenia also have objections about the pact.

In spite of the attitude of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, the Visegrad Group will probably not adopt a common position on the pact because of Slovakia, whose Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák negotiated the agreement and now defends it.

The pact is also being debated in Germany. Against the pact stand the AfD and some members of Chancellor Merkel´s CDU. According to them, the document does not sufficiently distinguish between refugees and economic migrants.